Heart-to-Heart Contest Judges and Winners

2017 Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Heart to Heart! The finalists are listed below in no particular order. Finalist submissions have been sent to the agents and editors. Check back in early November for the final rankings!

Contemporary

  • Sandra Marine, Home to You
  • Reagan Vane, Love in Progress
  • Sarah McGregor, Indecent proposal

Romantic Suspense

  • Sarah Bailey, The Sparrow
  • Enne Martin, POINT PERDIDO – THE COTELLI FAMILY
  • Barbara Forlenza, Beyond Paradise

Erotica (Not enough entries received)

Historical

  • Cindy Regnier, Her Heart’s Refuge
  • Sherrinda Ketchersid, The Lady’s Masquerade
  • Karysa Faire, Gold Digger

Paranormal

  • Elizabeth Menozzi, Eve of the Fae
  • Elycede Reefe, Wolf’s Promise
  • Barb DeLong, Charm’d

YA

  • Courtney Berman, Sixty Days
  • Rachel Scott, Unseen
  • Fiona Miller-Stevens, Life Without Clouds

2017 Judges

Please check back for updates to this list.

Contemporary

  •  – Agent   Nalini Akolekar, Spencerhill Associates
  •  – Print Editor   Sue Grimshaw, Editor-at-Large at Penguin-Random House Ballantine, Bantam, Dell – Loveswept, Flirt
  •  – E-Pub Editor   Toni Kelley, Acquisitions Editor for Extasy Books

Romantic Suspense

  •  – Agent   Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
  •  – Print Editor   Mary Altman, Sourcebooks Romance
  •  – E-Pub Editor    Kerri Buckley, Senior Editor at Carina Press

Erotica

  •  – Agent   Latoya C. Smith, L. Perkins Agency
  •  – Print Editor   Melissa Bendixen, Gallery/Simon and Schuster
  •  – E-Pub Editor   Tera Cuskaden, Entangled, Select Otherworld

Historical

  •  – Agent   Lizzie Poteet, Seymour Agency
  •  – Print Editor   Jennie Conway, St. Martin’s Press
  •  – E-Pub Editor   Alycia Tornetta, Entangled

Paranormal

  •  – Agent  Lane Haymont, The Tobias Literary Agency
  •  – Print Editor    Martin Biro, Editor, Kensington Books
  •  – E-Pub Editor   Stephanie Doig, Assistant Editor, Carina Press

YA

  •  – Agent  Laurie McLean, Fuse Literary
  •  – Print Editor  Michael Strother, Little, Brown Young Readers (Hachett Book Group)
  •  – E-Pub Editor  Samantha McMahon, SoulMate Publishing

2016 Winners

Contemporary

  • First Place: Celeste Deveney, Only Till Midnight *
  • Second Place: Angie Hockman, The Hustler *
  • Third Place: Gabrielle Luthy, Miracle on Tenth Avenue

Erotica

  • First Place: Tanicia Bell, Daughers of Flame: Book One, The Artist
  • Second Place: Angie Ballard, Sowing Wild Oats
  • Third Place: Liz Adams, A Werewolf Christmas

Historical

  • First Place: Mary-Teresa Heath, A Marquess in the Making *
  • Second Place: Mary-Teresa Heath, At Bealtaine’s Bidding
  • Third Place: Vicky Oliver, Parlor Games

Paranormal

  • First Place: Michelle Bond, The Twenty-Eighth Kiss *
  • Second Place: Marlene Relja, Capsos Rising
  • Third Place: Tanicia Bell, Vampireling: Book One *

YA

  • First Place: Nicole Hohmann, Our Center of Gravity *
  • Second Place: Terra Rogerson, The Break-Up Instructions *
  • Third Place: Sarah Zettler, Leaving Hollow *

* request for synopsis, partial manuscript, or full manuscript

2016 Final Judges

Contemporary

  • Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency – Agent
  • Elle Keck, Harper Collins – Print Editor
  • Toni Kelley, Extasy Books – E-Pub Editor

Erotica

  • Sarah Bush, Trident Media Group – Agent
  • Adam Wilson, Gallery/Simon and Schuster – Print Editor
  • Tera Cuskaden, Entangled – E-Pub Editor

Historical

  • Tamar Rydzinski, Laura Dail Literacy Agency – Agent
  • Nicole Fisher, Avon – Print Editor
  • Alycia Tornetta, Entangled – E-Pub Editor

Paranormal

  • Lane Haymont, The Seymour Agency – Agent
  • Bethany Blair, Berkley – Print Editor
  • Stephanie Doig, Carina Press – E-Pub Editor

YA

  • Laurie McLean, Fuse Literary – Agent
  • Michael Strother, Harlequin – Print Editor
  • Samantha McMahon, SoulMate Publishing – E-Pub Editor

2015 Winners

Contemporary

  • First Place: MM Jaye, Fate Captured *
  • Second Place: Sally Brandle, A Mule, A Mob Hit and A Mountain of Trouble *
  • Third Place: Rebecca Smith, She’s Got Game

Erotica

  • First Place: Sarah Hall, Breaking My Rules *
  • Second Place: M.A. Dison, Alaska Bound *
  • Third Place: Kaytlin Rose, Changing Tides

Historical

  • First Place: Jan Lehy, The Secret Affairs of a Duke’s Daughter *
  • Second Place: Christina Alexandra, The Seduction of the Duke *
  • Third Place: Laura Davies Tilley, Green Mountain Rogue

Paranormal

  • First Place: Kameron Claire, Special Order *
  • Second Place (tie): Erica Miles, Skin
  • Second Place (tie): Therese Rittenbach, My Kind of Love
  • Third Place: Lynn Vasquez, The Ghost of James Fitzpatrick

YA

  • First Place: Roxanne Stellmacher, Queen of All Fates
  • Second Place: Janet Halpin, The Nascent Bloom
  • Third Place: Beth Barany, Dinah, Fallen Angel

* request for synopsis, partial manuscript, or full manuscript

2015 Final Judges

Contemporary

  • Jay Austin, EIC – Agent
  • Rebecca Lucash, Harper Collins – Print Editor
  • Emmanuelle Morgen, Stonesong – E-Pub Editor

Erotica

  • Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literacy Agency – Agent
  • Adam Wilson, Gallery/Simon and Schuster – Print Editor
  • Tera Cuskaden, Samhain – E-Pub Editor

Historical

  • Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency – Agent
  • Nicole Fisher, Avon – Print Editor
  • Alycia Tornetta, Entangled – E-Pub Editor

Paranormal

  • Lane Haymont, The Seymour Agency – Agent
  • Bethany Blair, Berkley – Print Editor
  • Kerri Buckley, Carina Press – E-Pub Editor

YA

  • Laurie McLean, Fuse Literary – Agent
  • Natashya Wilson, HQN – Print Editor
  • Kimberly Blythe, Omnific Publishing – E-Pub Editor

2014 Winners

Contemporary

  • First Place: Seana Shelby, Welcome Home, Katie Gallagher *
  • Second Place: Karyn Mendoza, Hot Pants for the Hotspur
  • Third Place: Tara Wyatt, Off Guard *

Historical

  • First Place: Crystal Eliot, Lessons in Scandal *
  • Second Place: Susan Hammond, How to Train Your Knight *
  • Third Place: Karen Aragon, Queen of Diamonds

Paranormal

  • First Place: Alleyne Dickens, Stalking Horse *
  • Second Place: Jennifer Hover, The Last Marine
  • Third Place: Jennifer Hover, Citadel

YA

  • First Place: Elly Takaki, The Frost King *
  • Second Place: Shannon Godwin, The Goddess Hunter
  • Third Place: David Rodeback, Love and Rules

* request for synopsis, partial manuscript, or full manuscript

2013 Winners

Contemporary

  • First Place: Christine Harvey*, In Concert
  • Second Place: Maisie Rubinstein, Rules For Burning
  • Third Place: PamelaGibson*, Balancing Act

Historical

  • First Place: Jennifer Ensor, Lady Beauchamp’s Proposal**
  • Second Place: Pat Eckhoff, Beauford’s Run
  • Third Place: Pamela Aares Westfall Bochte*, The Lady and the Patriot

Paranormal

  • First Place: Jennifer Hover, Sated
  • Second Place: Karen Bynum, Becoming**
  • Third Place: Briana MacWilliam, The Book of Dracon
  • Fourth Place: Carla Smith, A Promise Given

YA

  • First Place (Tie): Darlene Ishigo, Echo
  • First Place (Tie): Paula Garner, Phantom Limbs
  • Second Place: Karen Bynum, Running From Shadows

* SFA-RWA Member
** request for partial or full manuscript